Word Choice
by jettmanas
Summary: Hiro and his friends must come to grips with being fugitives of the law in the eyes of Chief Cruz. Now they must work through their doubts to find a new angle to dealing with this seemingly hopeless situation. Takes place after the Season 2 ep: Hardlight. I did the cover art. Thank you!


A/N: My first Big Hero 6 the Series fanfic. Previous BH6 crossovers were written before the series. This takes place after Season 2 ep.17 'Hardlight'. So while you may be a bit lost if you haven't seen the series, don't let it stop you!

All rights to Disney. Thanks for reading!

* * *

"Mini-maximum decorating!"

Minimax, the pint-sized version of Baymax, attached a magnetic clip to the top of a wreath as instructed by his 'big brother'. The much larger Baymax accessed his data and lifted the tiny hero in his palms to the precise height of the previous wreath they hung on the opposite side of the spacious foyer.

The circular treasure attached to the metallic support beam with a light clank, and Minimax set his hands to his hips in satisfaction. Wasabi smiled at the robotic duo, then to Hiro.

"Okay everyone," Hiro said.

Honey Lemon, Fred, Go Go, Roddy Blair, and, for the first time, Grace Granville, were chatting nearby in what was once a run-down factory floor. Roddy was hired by Fred to remodel the family candy company into a base for Big Hero 6. After the conference room and a bathroom, the massive factory floor, which doubled as a training room, was his focus.

"Have fun guys," Roddy said, "I'll be working on the kitchen."

Hiro and the others thanked him, then the burly, bearded man moved off with a wave over his shoulder. The group walked over to a hexagonal wall panel, Hiro's voice pattern was recognized, and Basemax's digital visage of two hexagonal eyes connected by a line appeared. A wide metal door slid open, they entered, then claimed magnetically hovering high-backed seats at a hexagonal table.

"Professor Granville," Baymax said, gesturing to his chair to the left Hiro, who sat in front of the wall screen.

Grace nodded in appreciation, eyes wide at the sight of the huge hexagonal screen with Basemax's face. She sat, and Baymax, with Minimax perched on his head stood nearby.

"Thanks, Professor Granville, for coming out here," Hiro said.

"My pleasure," the tall, slim African American woman replied in a measured tone, glancing around. "Most impressive."

Hiro nodded. "So," Hiro said, "we covered Hardlight last meeting. Trina and Noodle Burger Boy…"

"All we can do is wait, I guess," offered Wasabi.

"Unfortunately," Go Go said flatly.

"And night patrol is still a no-go," Fred muttered in uncharacteristic gloom.

"Yeah," Hiro said lowly, "too risky getting caught by Chief Cruz."

Thanks to a misunderstanding and a personal vendetta against the heroes of San Fransokyo, they were now considered fugitives.

"And no more hanging out at the cafe," Honey Lemon noted somberly.

Grace looked to the tall redhead. "I'd avoid being anywhere in public together, or Chief Cruz could make the connection," she noted and glanced at each of them. "If he shows up at SFIT for some reason, I'll contact you immediately."

The woman sighed, and the others looked at her in appreciation.

"If all this is affecting your studies, I understand, and will do what I can. If you need anything, just come see me," she said.

The students gave a chorus of quiet 'thank yous'. The robots simply blinked. Go Go opened her mouth, then shut it.

"Go Go?"

Wasabi turned his powerfully built frame to his right to look fully at her, where she sat across from Hiro. She looked to him, and he gestured back with an open palm. The yellow armor-clad girl nodded back and took a breath.

"Since I'm talking about my feelings more," she said with a weak smile to Honey Lemon, "I just want to say…"

She looked at the tabletop, then to the others. "That I really hate this," she said, voice cracking.

Everyone was surprised at her of all people on the verge of tears. Honey Lemon and Baymax moved to either side of her to put a supportive hand on each of her shoulder pads.

"It's okay. I feel the same way," Honey Lemon said sadly. "I think we all do."

Go Go looked from her, to Baymax, then to the rest in their seats. "It was always so simple. Beat the bad guys and rescue people," she said, met with nods.

"But now, we're being treated like the bad guys," Honey Lemon said, frowning.

"If I went to jail, I can't imagine what my family would say," Wasabi said, lost in thought. "Same as any of us."

Hiro shook his head slightly. "I can. Already been there, but for doing something wrong."

He looked to the others in frustration. "But we've been saving lives. What if lives are lost because of that stubborn Chief Cruz-"

The youth stopped when he saw Grace's concerned look, and he collected himself.

"Good thing your aunt is so understanding," Grace said.

"Yeah, Aunt Cass is the best," Fred replied, then pursed his lips and squinted. "And doesn't Chief Cruz 'like' her?" he added with a gesture of air quotes.

Hiro nodded to him, then looked off a moment. "He shows up way too often, and she's the only person he seems to listen to- wait a minute..."

The others looked to him in anticipation.

"What if Aunt Cass convinced him to stop this 'vigilante hunt'?" he said. Then he shook his head. "No, I don't think we should _use_ her like that."

"I don't think it's using her," Grace offered. "I think if she's remotely interested in him, she should share how she feels about his view on Big Hero 6."

"It could be a risk though," Honey Lemon said, haltingly. "What if he only gets more suspicious. Wonders about Hiro. Finds out about Tadashi…"

Hiro, helmet on the table, ran his hands through his hair and felt the tinges of a headache. "And then he makes the connection," he finished for her. "This is so frustrating, but I appreciate all the feedback. Um, should we vote on what to do?"

* * *

Diego Cruz, an athletic tanned-skinned man in a blue officer's outfit, including a coat, walked along the hardwood floor through the Lucky Cat Cafe past a few customers to the counter.

"Hey, Diego. How are you?" Cass inquired warmly upon his reaching the counter.

"Better, now that I'm here," he replied with a smile. "How're you, Cass?"

"Okay. The usual?"

"Yes, thanks."

Cass poured the coffee with practiced ease, set it on the counter, then accepted the cash from the police chief. He put the change in the tip jar and she smiled.

"Mm, how's work?" she asked.

Diego's smile faltered as he scanned city activity beyond the large windows. "Oh, crime's picked up a bit," he said. "No sign of Big Hero 6."

Cass' brows knit, and she wiped down the counter. "Guess they can't help around the city if they're wanted criminals," she said.

Diego straightened a bit and took a drink. "We'll manage," he said. "Hey Cass," he paused until she looked to him. "You'll let me know if you hear anything. To help me track them down?" he added.

The short-haired brunette looked at him tiredly, then shrugged. "Sure. But you know, they did save everyone's life in the city. Including me," she said with a vague gesture to herself.

Cass leaned closer slightly, and attempted a smile. An older man with a fedora and thick glasses looked up from his paper to glance at Cruz glumly a moment, then gathered his things and left.

Diego exhaled then smiled and gave a short wave to Cass.

"Point taken. But remember what I said, okay?" he said as he walked to the front door. "Good seeing you!"

Cass sighed, the phone rang, and she moved to accept the call.

In the kitchen nearby, pop music piped out of a speaker on low volume. Hiro stood with Baymax, who placed a massive, yet soft and comforting hand on his shoulder. The robot blinked, Hiro nodded in appreciation, and then he focused on washing the few dishes in the sink.

_What happens next? And will we be able to handle it?_

Hiro and his friends and family are in for a challenging experience, but what exactly will be the outcome? We can only wait and hope for the best.

* * *

A/N: Thanks so much for reading this short bit of writing. I figured some of you might enjoy this. If so, please favorite and comment. Take care!


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